Ice Walls
by Rosage
Summary: Chie and Yukiko always spent the first snow of the season together until one year Yukiko's duties at the inn interfere. Cold and alone, she finds herself building barriers just to see if Chie will break them down.


_For Audinosaurus on tumblr, who gave me the prompt Chie/Yukiko-Winter. I'm new to writing Persona so I hope I did the pairing justice._

Yukiko's breath fogged the window as she sighed. Drawing a face with her finger made her snicker, a distraction that lasted her a minute before a shade was once again drawn over her mood. She peered out through the eyes she'd drawn at the snow outside. In past years, Chie would have come over when the first flake fell to dive headfirst into the heaps, but now winter holidays kept the inn so busy that Yukiko had called Chie to tell her not to bother. Secretly, she hoped Chie would disregard her and come anyway, but it was now nighttime and she hadn't appeared.

Yukiko sighed again. Why couldn't Chie have her brazen moments when Yukiko _needed _her to? It was petty of her, she knew; she _had _been the one to tell Chie to stay away, and she refused to acknowledge the part of her that knew she'd only done so to see if Chie would come for her regardless. For years they'd slept over, watched movies, played with the dog, giggled about classmates, and cried on each other's shoulders, and what kind of girl would test that kind of friendship?

_Me, _Yukiko thought miserably, lying back on her bed. _I would. _The sounds of singing came down the hall, increasing her self-loathing. She'd told her mother she had to stop helping at midnight and study, but she hadn't so much as cracked open a book.

A knock made her shoot upright. She turned to the door, her mouth already forming an excuse as to why she wasn't at her desk, but when the knock came again, it was behind her. Faintly hoping, she turned back to the window and saw Chie's round face poking through the smears where she'd drawn eyes. Without meaning to, Yukiko beamed, a look she'd only partly doused when she slid the window open.

"Chie, what are you doing here?"

"Rescuing you, of course!"

Yukiko's planned admonition died in her throat. "Re…really?"

"Duh! You think I'd let you shiver here alone during the first snow? Not a chance!"

Warmth filled Yukiko. She only barely stopped her grin before it took over her face. "I don't know, Chie. Won't we get in trouble if we're found out?"

"Oh, quit worrying. We'll think of something. Now let me in, will you? It's freezing up here."

Yukiko hesitated, not because she didn't know what to do, but because she knew hesitancy was expected. Finally, she said, "If you come in you'll get the floor wet. Just climb back down and I'll be there in a minute."

"Roger that!"

Chie disappeared, leaving the smile Yukiko had drawn behind. Hurriedly Yukiko pulled on her winter clothes and called out to her mother telling her not to let anyone disturb her studying before climbing out onto the ladder Chie had set up. Chie was waiting at the bottom for her, hand out-stretched.

"Watch your step, milady," she said, mocking a bow. Giggling, Yukiko took her hand. Her giggling increased when she pictured Chie in a prince's outfit, baggy pants and all. By the point where she was doubling over and snorting, Chie stopped sighing long enough to clap a hand over her mouth.

"If you don't want to get caught, be _quiet,_" she said. "Sheesh." Yukiko's _sorry _was punctuated with a snort.

Giddy with freedom, Yukiko dove into the nearest pile. Still giggling, she rolled around. Chie stood over her, hands on her hips. "Isn't that cold?"

"It's winter_, _Chie. Where's your sense of adventure?"

"Yeah, but you don't have to roll around in the stuff."

"I guess not…" Yukiko said with an exaggerated sigh. Shaking her head, Chie offered her hand. Yukiko pulled her down, snorting when Chie complained.

Several minutes later, Chie stood brushing snow off herself. "Two can play at that game," she said, before launching a snowball at Yukiko. After a few rounds, Chie stopped. "This is weak," she said. "You can't have a snowball fight without a real set-up. Let's each make a fort."

"A fort…?" A knot grew in Yukiko's stomach as she pictured castle walls rising around her.

Chie frowned. "We don't have to," she said.

Yukiko considered suggesting they build a snowman instead. No doubt they'd find cute ways to dress him, and Chie could practice one of her kung-fu moves on it while destroying the evidence. But as much as the image of walls boxing her in made her feel trapped, something inside her still wanted to build them back up just to give Chie a chance to kick them down.

"No," Yukiko said, forcing a smile. "Let's do it." All the while they built, Chie boasted about the victory she'd achieve, but Yukiko's mind wasn't on beating her. As she shaped a wall out of shivering hands, she snuck peaks over it at the prince who she knew would come to rescue her before the walls could turn to ice.


End file.
